Advertisement

'Nasty Nick' says reality stars now do 'far worse' than he did on first Big Brother

The reality star was at the centre of a controversy over manipulating nominations

<p>He was thrown out of the very first series when he was found to be breaking the rules and influencing nominations. Could he redeem himself, 17 years on? </p>
'Nasty Nick' Bateman was the first Big Brother villain. (PA Images/Alamy)

Big Brother star Nick Bateman has insisted people do “far worse” on reality TV now than he did to earn his “Nasty” nickname.

The 55-year-old was on the first ever series of the show in 2000 and sparked a huge backlash when he was caught writing things down in what was seen as a bid to influence nominations and the voting.

He talked about the controversy as he appeared on This Morning for a Big Brother reunion, which featured Kate Lawler, Nadia Almada and the show’s presenter Alison Hammond, who was a contestant in 2002.

Read more: Alison Hammond has turned down Dancing On Ice three times over skating fear

Asked if he saw it as manipulating nominations, he insisted: "No, you look at shows now and people do far worse."

Bateman, who now lives in Australia, said he had been surprised to have been chosen for the programme in the first place.

Nadia Almada greets the crowd, after leaving the house as this year's winner during Big Brother 5's grand finale show, at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood.
Nadia Almada said it was the 'best summer holiday'. (PA Images/Alamy)

“I didn’t think I would get on it, so many people applied,” he said, adding that even the producers suggested he might be "too boring" to be a housemate.

“As the process became narrower and narrower, and they were narrowing people down, I thought that I had got probably even less chance of getting on the show so I was quite surprised that I was picked.”

Almada, the show's first ever transgender contestant, said she had now trained to be a hairdresser.

Daily Mirror and RSPCA Animal Hero Awards 2015 - Arrivals  Featuring: Alison Hammond, Kate Lawler Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Oct 2015
Alison Hammond and Kate Lawler were on Big Brother together. (PA Images/Alamy)

She won the fifth series and said her Big Brother experience was “the best summer holiday ever” and gave her the chance to step away from everyday life.

Lawler, who won Hammond’s series of the fly on the wall show in 2002, shared that she almost hadn’t signed up.

She told the presenters that after she was selected she "got scared" and debated whether to enter the reality TV house.

Read more: Rylan Clark wants Big Brother job but says decisions are still being made

With the show getting rebooted, Lawler said anyone who was chosen should make sure to be themselves, as they would end up being “exposed” for who they really are anyway.

Watch: The Chase's Mark Labbett beaten in quiz on This Morning